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| "Christ the True Vine" 16th Century Greek Icon |
Context: The “I
am” statement of Jesus found at John 15:1 is part of a much larger passage
regarding his last night on earth that extends from 13:1 (washing his
disciples’ feet at the Passover dinner)-18:27 (the conclusion of Peter’s three
denials). John 18:28 begins a new day (Friday) when Jesus will be brought
before Pilate, the procurator (Roman governor), of Judea.
John 15:1 also falls within a smaller pericope that runs
from 15:1-16:33 which is known as “The Farewell Discourse.” Finally, this
passage also falls within a yet-smaller pericope that runs from 15:1-15:17. In
referring to this passage, the ESV
Reformation Study Bible states,
The union of Christ the Mediator and
His redeemed people is portrayed in Scripture in a variety of ways. These
portrayals work together in explaining the nature of this relationship. There
is: (a) the foundation and the building (1Cor. 3:11; Eph. 2:20-22); (b) the
vine and the branches (John 15:1-17; Romans 6:5); (c) the head and the body (1
Cor. 6:15, 19, 12:12; Eph. 1:22-23, 4:15-16; (d) the husband and the wife
(Romans 7:4; Eph. 5:31-21; Rev. 19:7; and (e) Adam and his descendants (Romans
5:12, 18-21; 1 Cor. 15:22, 45, 49). The comparison with vine and branches
indicates an organic union and a relation of complete dependence.[1]
In John 14 Jesus promised his disciples the several ways
that he was going to come to them after his crucifixion and death—thus giving
them their way to the Father and bringing the Truth and Life of the Father (in
and through the Son) to them. In chapter 15 Jesus teaches the disciples (so
us!) how, once he has come, we can make our home with him and so with his
Father. The theme is no longer about Jesus coming, but about us abiding in him.[2]
Study: Begin the
study of Jesus’ “I am” statement in John 15:1 (and 15:5) by reading, as a small
group aloud, the entire pericope of John 15:1-17. This passage can be
broken into two halves: 15:1-8 = Jesus
invites his disciples to make their home with him and to pray; and 15:9-17
= Jesus invites his disciples to keep his
love command and to pray.[3]
15:1 (15:5) is the last of the prepositional “I am”
statements of Jesus in the Gospel According to John. It is worth noting that
this is the only one that runs on into an additional claim—and the Father is the Vinedresser. Although the Son’s role is
certainly central to understanding this passage, the Father’s role is note
merely in the background: he trims and prunes the branches.[4]
Vine imagery is found throughout the literature of the
ancient world, especially in Palestinian Judaism. In the Old Testament the vine
is a common symbol for Israel, the covenant, chosen people of God (Psalm
80:9-16; Isaiah 5:1-7, 27:2ff; Jeremiah 2:21, 12:10ff, Ezekiel 15:1-8, 17:1-21,
19:10-14; and Hosea 10:1-2).
- Read out loud Isaiah 5:1-7
as a sample of this rich Old Testament witness.
It is remarkable that whenever ancient Israel is referred to
under this imagery it is the vine’s failure to produce good fruit that is
emphasized, along with the corresponding threat of God’s judgment on the
nation. Now, in contrast to such failure, Jesus boldly claims, “I am the true vine’, that is, the one
to whom Israel pointed, the one that brings forth good fruit (when the people
Israel failed). Carson writes that Jesus has already, in principle, superseded
the temple, the Jewish feasts, Moses, various holy sites; and here he
supersedes Israel as the very locus of the people of God![5]
- Read out loud Psalm
80:7-8, 14-17. Perhaps of all of the available Old Testament passages,
this one best brings together the themes of vine with the Son of Man.
At this point in the
study do you understand the difference the people Israel being the “figurative
vine” and Jesus being the “true vine?” Everything that God intended for Israel
to be and do they failed at. Jesus, on the other hand, fulfills everything that
God intended of his people Israel. By stating that he is the “true vine” he is
really saying that he is “true Israel.”
To help clarify Jesus’ claim, Herman Ridderbos writes, “The
main thing, however, is that Jesus, by [6]
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| "My Father is the Vinedresser" -Jesus |
What image do you get
in your mind when you read 15:2? Do you perceive the Father as loving and
kind—a gentle gardener, or, do you perceive an angry, judgmental God?
The ESV Reformation
Study Bible states, “No branch that is Christ’s can be wholly fruitless.
But branches that belong to Christ will bear fruit, and undergo the pruning
necessary to increase.”[7]
- Does it make sense to you that only a loving gardener would prune
away dead branches to benefit the living?
- What do you think the fruits of a healthy vine look like?
- What do you make of verse 3, “Already you are clean because of the
word that I have spoken to you”?
- What word has Jesus spoken to the disciples that would make them
clean?
- The church has
historically understood this statement to mean that whoever listens to
Jesus’ Word with attention at any time is, ipso facto, being “cut” to the
core. That is, Jesus’ Word cuts—cleanses, purifies, and purges.[8]
- Has this been your experience with God’s Word?
Verses 5-8 (introduced by verse 4) focus on how disciples of
Jesus are to abide/remain in him as a branch abides within the true vine. The central thoughts of verses 1-4 are
repeated in 5-8 but without any mention of the gardener who prunes and cuts.
Jesus states this clear teaching with simple starkness: a person either remains
in the vine and is a fruit-bearing branch, or is thrown away and burned. The
purpose of the branch is to bear MUCH fruit (verse 5), and the next verses show
that this fruit is the consequence of prayer in Jesus’ name, and is to the
Father’s glory (verses 7, 8, and 16). This suggests that the “fruit” in the
vine imagery represents everything that is the product of effective prayer in
Jesus’ name, including obedience to Jesus’ commands (verse 10), experience of
Jesus’ joy (verse 11), love for one another (verse 12), and witness to the
world (verses 16 and 27). This fruit is nothing less than the outcome of
persevering dependence on the vine, driven by faith, embracing all of the
believer’s life and the product of his witness.[9]
How do we bear fruit? How do we know who we are? How do we
know if our faith is strong enough to stay on the vine and not be cut
away? The answer to this is found in
verse 16,
You
did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and
bear fruit and that your fruit should abide, so that whatever you ask the
Father in my name, he may give it to you.
Where does the gift of belief come from? Who gives the power
to bear fruit? Who chooses the healthy vines? Who will protect that fruit? Who
gives the strength to persevere in difficult times while continuing to bear
fruit?
I AM
Soli Deo Gloria! To God Alone be All the Glory!
[2] Bruner, Frederick Dale, The Gospel of John: A Commentary (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 2012),
875.
[3] Ibid., 878 and 887.
[4] Carson, D.A., The
Gospel According to John (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1991), 513.
[5] Ibid., 513.
[6] Ridderbos, Herman,
The Gospel of John: A Theological Commentary (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans,
1997), 515.
[8] Bruner, 880.
[9] Carson, 517.
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